Unchained (Men in Chains Book 3) (21 page)

“He’s amazing. And funny.”

Yvonne chuckled. “He is that. And short. And he has that adorable lisp because of his fangs.”

“Why are his fangs like that?”

Yvonne rolled her eyes, then lowered her voice. “Don’t tell anyone, but he used vampire Viagra when it first came out. Overused, I should say. And he didn’t pay heed to the label warnings. Now he can’t retract his fangs.”

Shayna started to laugh and for a long time couldn’t stop. Yvonne laughed with her.

When Shayna finally settled down, she marveled at Yvonne’s fortitude and that she could speak of what had happened to her so easily. But no doubt that ease had come with time.

She touched her blood-chain, aware that Marius was still in a lot of pain. “Can you go find out what’s going on with Marius? I don’t understand why he’s not healed up yet and I know that if I ask, he won’t give me details.”

“Men,” Yvonne responded, but smiling at the same time. “I’ll be happy to find out what’s going on.”

Because Shayna had finished her soup, Yvonne took the tray away, promising to return as soon as she had word about Marius.

Shayna sipped a glass of water and kept sipping. Yvonne had encouraged her to drink a lot right now. Vampires released a serum when they tapped into a vein that replenished the blood supply quickly, but liquids really speeded up the process.

So she sipped, wondering if she’d need to donate again given all that Marius had been through.

Now that she’d eaten, had her transfusion, and was hydrating, her usual energy and accompanying restlessness returned. She wanted to be up and doing, to see Marius for herself, and to have a look at the vampire–human hybrid village.

Her heart pounded at the thought that she would be able to observe the combining of two cultures, brought together, as so many were, through an act of violence. She knew from her studies that war and the accompanying rape of women frequently produced offspring who then impacted how both cultures moved forward.

She really wanted a chance to speak to more women, like Yvonne, who had fallen in love with and married vampires. If her own heart beat a little stronger because of these thoughts, she tried to ignore what simmered in the back of her mind. Even so, the thought formed itself for the first time, shaking her to her trembling knees: Could she have a life with Marius?

She had to be out of her mind to even be thinking such a thought, yet there it was, staring her in the face. She had to admit at least this much to herself: that beyond feeling an enormous attraction to the man, she also respected and valued him.

She smiled at the ridiculous thought of making vampire babies with him. Yet Marius’s mother had been human, and even Yvonne had three children.

She leaned back against her pillows and closed her eyes. These thoughts were too hard and too impossible to even consider. She forced herself to recall all her excellent plans, her love of anthropology, and her desire to teach others what she knew about a subject she loved.

Having ordered her thoughts, she turned her attention to the one thing that could get her back home to Seattle more swiftly, before her affections became firmly attached: She had to get the remaining part of the extinction weapon. As far as she could tell, Quill and Lev had just secured the top and the base to the final weapon.

Yet she felt uneasy. The wavy lines that dogged her visions had left out important aspects about both Sweden and Costa Rica. She was sure of it. In fact, she’d begun to suspect that both trips had been a ruse, or at least a lure. Daniel knew Shayna was with Marius and that she had tracking abilities. He would have known she’d be on the trail of the weapon.

When she thought back to what Daniel had wanted Quill to do in Costa Rica, to try yet again to persuade Marius to join their world-domination efforts, somehow she knew that Daniel already had the weapon. In fact, she was sure of it. Yet she also knew that the wavy lines had marred her ability to get the whole picture, and before she offered up any more vision-type information to Marius, she needed to get rid of those lines. She strongly suspected that she would have known about the bomb if she’d had full access to the last vision.

When Yvonne returned and reported that Marius had just finished having the last of the shrapnel removed, and that he’d had the work done without anesthesia, Shayna groaned. “I can’t even let a dentist touch my mouth without several shots of Novocain.”

Yvonne smiled. “These vampires are tough, especially the fighting men.”

Shayna considered laying her problem before Yvonne, but the woman was human and showed no real signs of the kinds of strange power that Shayna could access.

She needed to talk to a vampire. Maybe Yvonne would know someone who could help.

Once Yvonne knew what she needed, she nodded wisely. “I know exactly who you should talk to. Let me have a chat with Rumy and see if we can bring her in. She’s different, though, and she’ll have a bizarre take on things, but she’s also incredibly perceptive in a surprising way.”

Yvonne was ready to take off, but Shayna called her back. “Listen, I’m going stir-crazy in this bed. I feel fine and I’d love to get up and get dressed, but I don’t have any clothes.”

“Oh, of course.” She crossed to an armoire, a lovely antique, and opened the doors. She gestured to the clothes hanging inside and stacked on shelves. “Rumy stocked it so you’re all set. Consider these yours.”

Shayna held up her arm still hooked to the IV. “What about this?”

“Let me talk to Rumy. He probably knows what the orders are.”

She was only gone a couple of minutes before she returned wearing a smile. She quickly removed the IV. “You’re all set and I think Marius is out of surgery as well.” She glanced at her watch. “We’ll have our main meal in about an hour and we’d love for you both to join us. We eat together as a community once a week so it will be a madhouse potluck, with fifty lively kids running around.”

Shayna smiled and something inside her relaxed. “That sounds wonderfully normal.”

Yvonne offered her another smile then left, closing the door securely behind her.

Shayna breathed a big sigh of relief. She really needed to be moving. It was one thing when she felt so faint, but now that she was recovered, she had a job to do—and ultimately a life to get back to.

If she and Marcus could find the damn weapon, she’d have plenty of time to finalize her plans for getting to her fieldwork in Malaysia.

As she hunted through all the blouses and tops, all cut way too low, of course, she finally decided she’d have to wear a tank top backward and a second shirt like normal. The rest was typical Rumy fare: black lace thongs, sexy lace bras that would force her breasts up and out, and snug jeans. She ignored the stilettos lined up like aggressive troops going into battle, relieved to find a pair of flats. She’d be comfortable and could hopefully keep the take-me-now factor on low rumble.

She stripped off the cotton nightgown and stepped into a lace thong. The bra was a little snug and her breasts, always on the full side, poured from the cups, as usual. The closet had a full-length mirror so she couldn’t help but look.

She was almost sexy.

She ran a hand down the narrow curve of her waist. Michelson had said her proportions were all wrong, her waist too small, her hips too big, her legs too long.

Shayna, are you all right?

Marius’s voice in her head startled her.
I’m fine. I’m getting dressed.

It’s just that you felt angry all of a sudden. I sensed all this renewed energy then a shift that felt like you wanted to hit something. You’re sure you’re okay?

Something is bothering me,
she responded, still looking at herself in the mirror,
but it has nothing to do with you or this situation, just an asshole I’m pissed at right now.

But not me?

Of course not.

Good. I was worried. Rumy told me you’d needed a transfusion. I’m so sorry.

You couldn’t help it, Marius. You were losing blood and trying to keep us both in the air. But you got us safely to Cuba, and Rumy took us the rest of the way. We’re on the mend and I’m so glad you’re out of the woods. What’s the prognosis?

I have healers with me now. I should be good to go in a few minutes, then I’ll come to you.

I’ll see you then.
She felt Marius shut down and thought it was a good thing, at least for now, because she had something important to think through and it had to do with her ex.

She continued to look at herself in the mirror, turning so that she could see her firm ass. She ran three miles a day come rain or shine and had for years. She was fit and, dammit, she looked it.

She looked good.

In fact, she looked hot. Her breasts spilled out of the underwire bra. She shook her head, hearing Michelson’s complaints about her basic anatomy. “That lying sonofabitch,” she said aloud. “I’d put his head in a meat grinder if I could. Asshole.”

“So who are we talkin’ about and please dish, because I like your style, my beautiful blond one.”

Shayna whirled toward the doorway, startled by the sudden arrival of a woman who had to be over six feet tall.

“Who are you?” The woman was also blond, but with really long hair caught up in a ponytail that still hit her mid-buttocks. She was beautiful, with ice-blue eyes that had an upper slant at the sides—cat’s eyes, they’d be called. She wore a ton of makeup, snug leopard-print pants, black, leather flats, and a black silk bustier that left little to the imagination.

The woman was stacked.

“I’m Eve. Didn’t Rumy or Yvonne tell you I was coming? Yvonne called and said you need a consultation.” Her gaze fell to Shayna’s cleavage. “Well, don’t you have pretty breasts. I could use you in one of my shows, if you’re game.” She had a wide mouth and eyes that sparkled.

“One of your shows?” Shayna slid into her jeans and quickly donned the tank top.

“I own and operate a club in The Erotic Passage, all consensual and aboveboard. No slaves, nothing that hurts anybody. You’d be a hit.”

Of all the things Shayna had experienced so far, none had come close to astonishing her as much as meeting the owner of a sex club who dressed the part and didn’t mind recruiting humans.

Shayna’s lips twisted into a smile. “I like sex well enough, but I’m really not interested in performing on stage.”

Eve chuckled. “But we could do the whole anthropologist-meets-vampire thing. My clients would go crazy. Do you wear glasses?”

“A bit clich
é
, don’t you think? And the answer is no I don’t, and again, no, not interested.”

The funny thing was, Shayna wasn’t offended at all by the offer, though her senses told her Eve was only half serious anyway. No wonder Yvonne had spoken of her as not being in the mainstream. So what was it—could Eve help, or did this world lack counselors generally?

“I’m seeing a few questions pass through your eyes. I’ve been told you like to dissect all kinds of issues.”

Shayna shook her head, collecting herself. “Yep, I’m known for my inquisitiveness, but please come in. Yvonne is something special, and she really believed you could help me.”

“I hope I can, but if not, then we’ll figure out what to do next.”

Shayna liked her. She was the kind of woman that lived life full-out, nothing held back, and she doubted she ever apologized for anything. Eve also seemed to have an undercurrent of common sense and kindness about her.

Shayna started to close the armoire door then caught sight of her reflection again. Glancing down, she realized in putting on the tank top she’d forgotten about her original plan to wear it backward. “This will not do.”

“What? Marius will love it.”

“That’s not the problem. All the other men will as well, and that won’t fly.”

Suddenly Marius appeared in the doorway, scowling as he looked her up and down. “No, it sure as hell won’t.”

“Ah. The man has arrived.” Eve turned toward him. “Rumy said you were in bad shape. How you doin’, warrior man?”

“I’ve been better.” He glanced a second time at Shayna, still frowning.

Eve laughed. “Well you look fantastic, like you always do.”

Marius turned toward Eve, a different kind of frown forming a trough between his brows. “So what exactly are you doing here?”

Eve explained, which gave Shayna a chance to just look at Marius. He may have been at death’s door not long ago, but right now he looked amazing. He must have just showered, because his hair was damp, and Rumy had provided him some clothes. He looked sexy as hell, wearing blue jeans that fit his muscular legs beautifully and a long-sleeved navy T-shirt, open at the neck so that his blood-chain showed.

A small tremor went through her at the sight of the single-chain, and what it meant, how connected they were.

She touched hers and her heart rate sped up.

When he glanced her direction, she could see the question in his eyes, but she just smiled and shook her head. In the back of her mind she knew she needed to flip the T-shirt, yet somehow she wanted him looking at her just like this, with her breasts spilling out.

They’d been through so much recently that she’d forgotten for a moment what this part of her relationship with him was like, the powerful sexual drive toward him that took so little to ignite.

Marius kept glancing in her direction, probably aware of her thoughts because of the chains, though he continued to speak in a quiet voice to Eve. Shayna probably could have followed their conversation, but she was too caught up in looking at Marius to listen or to even want to.

Eve finally turned in her direction. “I’ll catch up with you later, during the potluck they’ve got going on in a few minutes. After dinner, you and I can talk about what’s going on. Right now, our favorite man here needs some alone time with you—at least that’s what I’m getting.” She put both hands on his shoulders and kissed his cheeks, each in turn. Shayna could see just how much Eve respected Marius, something Shayna had witnessed repeatedly now, from every quarter.